CSPAN Question Time Series/Special. British Prime Minister David Cameron meets with the members of the House of Commons. (Stereo)

November 3, 20139:00 - 9:31pm EST

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kaiser health news correspondent julie appleby looks at the individual notices. wall street journal reporter nick discusses why the federal housing administration has received close to $2 billion from the treasury department to stabilize its fiscal position. washington journal, live at 7 a.m. eastern on c-span. the best dressed list every year she was first lady. this was the outfit she wore when she and i met queen elizabeth and prince philip. another designer dress, this is cotton fabric with many of the houses the .isenhower's lived in

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these are a few examples of her day dresses. she was very fond of the color pink. jackie kennedy is well known for the little black dress, and here are some examples of may me -- black dresses. these show her love of color and right fabrics. >> during question time on wednesday, british prime minister david cameron defended the u.k. at intelligence in light ofogram allegations the u.s. spied on several countries including spain, france, and germany. minister says he takes it very seriously.

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the prime minister also discussed energy costs, unemployment figures, and progress in automobile production. this is just over 30 minutes. . >> they are investing in and training a young people. we were told the government has theogram which leads to disappearance of a million jobs. it time they admit they were wrong and apologize? >> my honorable friend is right. the british economy is on the mend. up.aw the numbers going

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growth rate is forecast to be three times as fast. frankly the leader of the opposition told us we would lose one million jobs. wrong, and it's time he he to his feet and told us was wrong. mr. speaker, having listened to the committee yesterday, can the prime minister tell us what's the difference between his -- can i say to the prime minister his role is to nod his head in the appropriate laces. the -- inappropriate places. can the prime minister tell us

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that is the difference between his policy on energy and that of the energy companies. >> they got it wrong and cannot bear to admit it. must he heard, and the answers must be heard. however long it takes, people must get used to the fact. there is little competition to down, but what we have learned in the last week is this competition should include switching. he said, i will tell the prime minister, telling people that the answer is to switch our suppliers. but what did we find out over the last few days? he switched his supplier! yes. i went, he went for one of these insurgent companies to cut his bill.

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isn't it typical. he comes here every week and attacks tory policy. he goes home and adopts tory policy to help his own family. ! >> mr. speaker. the only thing people need to do, if they want somebody to stand up against the energy companies, they switch the prime minister and that is what they know. now, now, as the unofficial, as the as the unofficial spokesman for the energy companies, maybe he can answer the question that they couldn't answer yesterday. can he explain, can he explain, why when wholesale prices have hardly moved since a year ago, retail prices are rising by around 10%? >> because we need both competition and rolling back the cost of charges. looking, switching, switch something part of competition

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and the company that he switched to had this to say about his energy --, listen to the people providing his energy. they said this. a policy like this is potentially problematic for an independent provider. bluntly, bluntly, it could put me under. so that is his policy, not listening to the people providing his energy, but having less choice, less competition higher prices. it is the same old labour. >> he hasn't answered question. i will explain something quite simple to him. you see most energy companies don't want a price freeze, right? most consumers do. that is why the energy companies, forget the price freeze, he is so on the side of the energy companies, mr. speaker. call them the big seven. the prime minister and the big six energy companies. now, in opposition, in opposition he said this, he said

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there was a problem in the relationship between wholesale and retail prices. and he went on to say, the first thing you've got to do is give the regulator the key to order that those reductions are made. and that is what we would do. mr. speaker, why would it come to the energy companies, has he gone from rambo to bambi in four short years? who was it who gave us the big six? yes, when labour, when labour first looked at this there were almost 20 companies. but because of his stewardship we ended up with six players. now they talk about a price freeze, but down the corridor they have been voting for a price rise. that is right. they voted for a dhi qar bonnization target that rise prices -- dhi qar bonnization.

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>> so hard to keep up with this prime minister on green levies, isn't it. believe it or not he was boasting about the size of his green levies. he said this, i kid you not, he said, and i quote, ecowas many times the size of the scheme it replaced. so when it comes to green, as, as short time ago as january he was saying the bigger the better. now he says the opposite. here's the problem, here's the problem. on competition, here's the problem. ear's the problem. here's the problem. he wants to review, he wants to review an energy policy but that is exactly what the energy companies want, a long inquiry, kicking the problem into the long grass. how will they review the report next summer help people to pay

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their bills this winter? we want a competition inquiry that starts straight away. that is our policy. but the point about, the point about vote fog a price rise he has to answer because this is what the former labour energy spokesman, lord donahue said in the house of lords and he should listen to this he was their energy spokesman. he said this, i have never spoken against the labour amendment in 28 years in this house but i am troubled by the consequences for ordinary people. the amendment will raise the cost of living and is in conflict with a future price freeze! that is it, from labour's own policy spokesman in the house of lords. the fact is the whole country could see he is a one-trick pony and he run out of road. >> if he wants to talk about what people are saying, if he

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wants to talk about what people are saying -- >> order. members try to recover some semblance of calm, it would be good for the health, beneficial to their well-being of the they must try to grow up even after the age of 16. ed millie brand. >> his own man he put on climate committee says his figures are false. that is what he said. he has opportunity to do something for the public next week. he has an energy bill going through parliament. instead of hit sitting on his hands he could amend that bill to institute a price freeze now. we'll support a price freeze. why doesn't he act? >> because it is not a price freeze. is a price con. the fact is, he is hiding behind this economically illiterate policy because he can't talk about the economy because, it's

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growing. he can't talk bun employment because it is falling. he can't talk about the deficit because it has come down. he has got nothing else to say. he is just a weak leadwer no ideas >> i tell you who is weak, this prime minister who is too weak to stand up energy companies. this is the only way we can do with the energy companies overcharging. time to act like a prime minister, standing up for consumers and stop acting like a pr man for the energy companies. >> i'll tell you what is weak, too weak to stand up and admit their economic failures. too weak to stand up to mcclose ski, hoe tried to wreck the petrochemical industry and too week to stand up to the shadow chancellor. >> order.

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mr. quinn, recover your composure, man! you're wholly out of control. the prime minister. >> let just examine what has happened with hs-2 this week. the shadow chancellor, touring the radio studios, telling everyone it won't go ahead. labour local authority leaders begging the leader of the opposition to stand for this infrastructure scheme and what has he done? cowered into his office, too weak to make a decision, to put it another way, britain deserves better than that lot. >> thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. speaker. last year, businesses, yes, businesses created three times, three times as many jobs in the private sector as were lost in the public sector. so is it not high time, prime minister, that those who made mystic predictions we would not

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be able to create as many private jobs as we did in the public sector, go on to admit they got it wrong? >> my honorable friend is absolutely right, they should admit they got it wrong. let us remember what the leader of the opposition said as late as march 2012. he said this, you're not going to be able to replace the jobs in the public sector quickly enough with jobs in the private sector. the fact is, we've now got one million more people employed in our country, 1.4 million private sector jobs but they're too weak to admit they got it wrong. >> i'm grateful, mr. speaker. does the prime minister believe that the a&e crisis in the hs has anything to do with the fact that he has cut 6,000 nurses since coming to power? >> what we see in the nhs is 23,000 fewer, non-clinical grades, actually bureaucrats and

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managers taken out of the nhs and we see 4,000 more clinical staff including over 5,000 more doctors in our nhs. that is the change we've seen. but just imagine if we listened to labour and cut the nhs budget, we believe in the nhs we have invested in it. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as the chamber of commerce reports the economic survey real business optimism with a rise in the number of local firms employ more starve and increase in u.k. orders and 10% increase in sales. does my right honorable friend agree with me that is the evidence that the government economic plan is working and party opposite got it wrong? >> my right honorable friend is right, we had to make tough decisions. growth is there. unemployment is falling. the number of people in work is rising. we have 400,000 more businesses in this country, and if we had listened to the shadow chancellor who said we were in for a lost decade of growth we

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would have higher debt, higher interest rates. it would be the same old outcome under the same old labour. >> thank you, mr. speaker. in a recent survey from youth switch, 75% of people said they switched their heating off one or more occasions last winter. does the prime minister expect this number to go up or down this winter due to his inability to stand up to the energy companies? >> fuel policy went up under labour, and under this government we maintained winter fuel payments. increased cold weather payments and increased benefits the poorest families get in our country. that is the action we've taken. we can only afford to do that because we have taken tough and sensible decisions on the economy. >> andrew jones. >> a few days ago i launched the business case for the electrification of the rail line which will have more trains, faster services, better rolling stock. after the loss government

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electrified nine miles in 13 years, can my right honorable friend continue to prioritize electrification. >> he make as very good point, the last government did nine miles of electrification in 13 years. absolutely pathetic record. we're puting a billion pounds into modernizing railways in the north of england. look at this issue of hs-2. we all know it needs cross party agreement to make this important infrastructure team go ahead. what a pathetic spectacle we've seen this week. one minute they're for it, then they're against it and leader of the opposition too weak to make a decision. >> i come across a very interesting interview given by the prime minister to the "times." constituency office, in his words he needed to turn the heating on just so it's a bit nicer when i get back this afternoon. how many of my constituents does he think will be able to afford such niceties as we approach

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this winter? >> what his constituents will understand, their price freeze is a price con. prices would go he have beforehand. prices would go up afterwards and as he himself has admitted they wouldn't be able to keep the promise because they don't control gas prices. that's why everyone knows it is a con. >> thank you, mr. speaker. my 20-year-old con sit went left school at 16. was told only choice he had which prison he might end up w. four years later he is owning one of. wales best chocolate brands. does prime minister approve with me, record number of new business startups are economic sign people like neil burgess due the excellent work of the chancellor? >> i certainly join my honorable friend paying constituent turning his life around and contributing to the economy. we see 400,000 more businesses.

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they're up and running in our country. of course labour don't want to hear about success stories. they don't care. they don't care about enterprise. they don't care about small businesses but this enterprise and this small business that is turning our country around. >> mr. speaker, there's a new flat just launched in my constituency, and it has been built partly as a result of public money under the government's affordable housing scheme known as shared to buy. two bedroom flat in pietri court. it is 720,000 pounds. does the prime minister believe this to be affordable, and -- >> we need to build more houses in our country and that is why we're reforming the planning system which they opposed. that is why we've introduced help to buy, which they opposed. which is why we put extra money into affordable housing which they opposed. they are now will build absolutely nothing anywhere

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party, as a result housing will become less affordable. >> paul apple. >> over the last few decades, hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty in india and china globally. as those people have increased their living standard their energy demands have increased as well. will my right honorable friend agree if we have sustainable long-term energy the deal which the chancellor held in few weeks is chinese initiative is crucial, much rather than short-term political gimmicks? >> i do think it is very important step forward to encourage inward investment into our country to help fund our nuclear program. i think that actually means we're going to have dependable supplies of low carbon electricity long into the future. and to the people who opposed foreign investment, the party opposite opposed foreign investment, with all the flip-flops they have done this week i wouldn't be as all surprised if they didn't start opposing nuclear energy too.

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getting this foreign investment in means we can use our fire power to build hospitals, to build schools, build roads, railways and modernize our countries. >> does the prime minister believe that royal mail was undervalued? >> i think when you consider that royal mail in the past was losing billions of pounds, the whole country is far better off with royal mail in the private sector. i just talked about, flip-flops. here's another one from the labour party. who was it who said we needed to privatize royal mail in the first place? anyone? anyone? where is peter mendelsohn when you need him. he said they needed private capital. i agree. they said we need private management. i agree. it has taken this government to deliver the policy. >> thank you, mr. speaker. 1 1/2 million jobs created byes and 400,000 new businesses, last month's figures show the biggest monthly fall in unemployment on

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record. unemployment is now down over 30% since its peak under labour. would the prime minister agree why attacking business but spoehring businesses to grow we can undo labour's legacy of unemployment? >> my right honorable friend is absolutely right. whoever was in government now would have to make difficult reductions in the public sector obviously that leads to reduction of public sector jobs. we need a private sector recovery. that's what we've seen. 1.4 million jobs in the private sector. overall more than one million people employed in our country. that is one million reasons to stick to our plan and reject the medicine suggested by the party opposite. >> mr. sheridan. >> prime minister, couldn't legislation to protect agency workers stop exploitation of migrant workers to protect wages and of our indigenous workers?

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i know this issue can he reassure the house he win taper resist any temptation to dilute even further protection for agency workers? >> what i want to see is more jobs in this country and that means making sure we keep a flexible workforce. of course what the honorable gentleman didn't tell us he chairs the unite group of labour and peace. so, perhaps he ought to declare a when he stands up. and while he is at it, perhaps he could have a word with mr. mcclosky we need proper inquiry what happened into unite. proper inquiry what happened in grains, we know the leader of the labour party is too weak himself. >> mr. speaker, the economy grown 1 1/2% in the last six months, during which time the typical constituency the numb per of job squeakers fall ledge by 1/5.

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requires a workforce which is highly skilled but hopes were dashed five years ago when the national college building program ran out of money. will the prime minister join me in backing wilshire colleges bid for skilled funding agency to rebuild the chippeham to give local students the skills employers demand. >> i very much agree with what my right honorable friend said. we all remember the huge disappointment when labour's planned investment collapsed in some of our colleges. i saw exactly the same thing in whitney college and this government is now putting money to see that expansion and improvement and better quality colleges into place. i'm sure that could happen in wilshire as well as whitney. >> peter ames. >> 2/3 of the green levies of groaning bills were established under this government. why is the prime minister attacking himself? >> he's wrong the fact is, many of of the green levies were put in place by the party opposite.

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but let me remind him, remind him one of the first acts of this government was to take 179-pound renewable heat initiative which the leader of labour party wanted to put on every single person's bill in the country. we took that and we took it off the bill. >> everett wheeler. >> will the prime minister join with me in congrat hailing workforce at toyota in my constituency as well as manufacturers across the count think whose hard work ensured the car production went up by 10% in the last year? >> well i certainly join my honorable friend. i remember my own visit to there they don't want to hear good news about manufacturing. they don't want to hear good news about our car industry. the fact this country is net exporter of cars again. we should be congratulating the workforce at toyota. we should be congratulating

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workforce at jaguar, land rover. we should praise what they're doing at nissan. they are leading reindustrialization of our country. i was at the county works on monday, the mini doing brilliantly, leading to more jobs, more apprenticeships, more skills, all things we welcome under this government. >> thank you, mr. speaker. for launching our reports on electrical conduct yesterday which found shocking examples of racism and discrimination during election campaigns. i would like to ask the prime minister, mr. speaker, whether he will back our call to get political parties the electoral commission and equality and human rights commission to work more proactively now in areas of tension so that the next general election can be a battle of ideas and not raise hate and discrimination? >> i very much welcome what the honorable lady says. and i welcome the report of your

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parliamentary inquiry into electoral conduct. i will study the report and if there is anything we do cross party cooperation we take racism out of politics we will certainly do so. >> thank you, mr. speaker. thanks to the government's regional growth, 8 million is reopening the rail, cutting travel times between birmley and manchester in half. better rail connections to the south of england are also vital. does the prime minister not agree with me it is absolutely outrageous for the party opposite to challenge hs-2 at current time putting in jeopardy and jobs an investment in the north of england? >> i think my right honorable friend is absolutely right to stand up for his constituents, stand up for the north of england because there is a real danger with labour's antics they are letting down north of england. letting down the middle. let me remind the shadow chancellor what he said about transport investments. said nowhere is consensus more

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essential than on our national infrastructure. he said this, success tiff governments docked or delayed vital decisions on our national infrastructure allowing short-term politics to get in the way. that is his own words he is found guilty of short-termism and petty politicking rather than looking after the national interests. >> john james. >> the prime minister --, is the prime minister, along with the justice minister about the probation service especially in light of the trials actually being called to a halt. is he prepared to gamble especially with the lives and daily safety of might have constituents and other people in this country and will his gambit hold up? >> what we want with the probation service is a service

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that is much more focused on getting results, on stopping reoffending and also making sure that we give people services in terms of rehabilitation, from the moment that they leave prison. that doesn't happen today. but it is interesting, mr. speaker, 26 minutes past 12:00, not one question from labour on the economy. they got nothing to say. they got nothing to offer. they are embarrassed. the prediction after prediction was completely wrong. >> right honorable friend, i agree. >> order. >> question from the honorable member must and it will be heard. >> thank you, mr. speaker. my right honorable friend, i welcome the full folding unemployment down to 3.7% in my own constituency, but, will he recognize with me that's one of the biggest problems is young people with special needs, particularly autism, aspergers

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getting to work and congratulates the lond door borough of red bridge and interfaith parents group project started with first young people of special needs in work? >> well, i know my honorable friend's close attention to this issue and deep care about this issue. i certainly pay tribute to red bridge and all those who help children with special needs. through our former special needs we try to focus help on those who need it most to make sure they get the help they need. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. i have a question on the economy for the prime minister. does the prime minister agree with his on advisors, that t they are not failing to attack the al appalling high levels of youth plent. >> we're seeing the youth

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consider the, people getting work through our work scheme. it is more successful than the futures jobs fund but six times as little through the youth contract. we've also seen over 20,000 young people get work opportunities. that ask why we see the youth unemployment coming down in our country. there is far more to do to get young people into work. the fact we backed over 1 1/2 million apprenticeships is sign showing how much we care about getting young people back to work. >> thank you, mr. speaker. does the prime minister agree with president obama that there needs to be additional constraints how we gather new intelligence? we need to more effectively weigh the risk and rewards of our activities? will the prime minister follow the president's lead? >> what i said in the house before and i repeat again, obviously we listen to what other countries have to say about these issues but i believe in britain we have a good way of having intelligence and security services, having them overseen by parliamentary